initial ideas

1. I like the Mumford and sons album artwork
because I think having the picture as the main
focus of the cover is more interesting than the
text as I am usually drawn to albums that have
an interesting image rather than title. I also like
the slightly grainy quality of the images as it
doesn’t scream squeaky-clean pop. I like how
the image set up itself and the quality gives a
subtle link the indie folk/rock genre that they
belong to. The images have an artistic,
ambiguous quality which is effective as it draws
the audience in. They also give reference to
certain genres of music and cultural values for
example the Nirvana and Vampire weekend
covers are more Americanised.
The other examples also inspire me as it is the
main image that evokes thought rather than the
font. I also like the alternative set up of the
images as they are more interesting than just
the artist posing for the camera. My initial idea
for the digi-pack would be to create an image
similar to this and play around and manipulate
the set up and image quality in order to create a
similar aesthetic.

2. I like the colour scheme of these colours as they have a relatively
simple pallet. This seems to be a running theme with some indie
bands as they don’t feature bright a wide range of bright colours. I
think the simple look is more appealing. This kind of colour scheme
could be a convention of the indie genre because colours like bright
pink or yellow may be more commonly associated with pop or more
commercial genres.
From the covers that I have researched, I like fonts that are sans serif as they are
easier to read. I think the album covers where the font is consistent through the
artist and album name as for me, it is more visually appealing. It seems to be that
covers from the indie bands tend to have minimal writing that contrasts well with
the picture so it can be seen without taking much of the attention away from the
artwork. The ‘Settle’ album from disclosure was their debut album which may be a
reason as to why it shares conventions with indie bands as their audience was not as
wide and as commercialised as it may be now. I think the simple aesthetic is
effective as it is visually pleasing and lets the artwork do the talking, creating a sense
of ambiguity.
For the artwork, this cover inspires me the most as I like the grainy
quality of the image, as if it was taken by a disposable or polaroid
camera. This links in with other album covers of the indie genre so I
feel that my initial idea for a digi-pack would follow this convention.